Battle for Signage Supremacy During First 

US World Cup Telecast Goes to Toshiba 

         ANN ARBOR, MI, June 13, 2006 – During ESPN2’s telecast of the United States versus Czech Republic at the World Cup yesterday afternoon, Toshiba’s logos on the signs surrounding the playing field in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, appeared on television more than any other corporate sponsor’s offerings. 

          According to research conducted by Joyce Julius and Associates, which specializes in measuring the impact of sponsorships across all forms of media, Toshiba’s signs appeared clear and in-focus for eight minutes, 41 seconds (8:41) throughout the telecast.  When comparing the on-screen time to the estimated cost of a commercial during the coverage, Toshiba reaped $460,000 of exposure value during US television coverage alone.

          Additional sign sponsors surpassing the eight-minute exposure mark were adidas, MasterCard, FujiFilm, Gillette and Budweiser.  Combined, 16 brands appeared for one hour, 35 minutes, 20 seconds ($5,052,645), for an average of 5:58 per brand.  The following chart lists the clear and in-focus exposure time and comparable exposure value for each sign sponsor monitored during ESPN2’s telecast.

Brand                                                    Exp. Time                                 Exp. Value

          Joyce Julius measured the impact of the World Cup signage through the utilization of its Image Identification Technology, which allows for precise digital measurement of logos appearing during televised events.

         The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Joyce Julius and Associates — which monitors more than 2,500 nationally televised sports and special event programs annually — has been measuring the impact of corporate sponsorships since 1985.